Taxi driver, miner charged for killing cheese vendor

Bourda Market murder

A 34-year-old taxi driver and a 26-year-old miner have been slapped with murder charges and hauled before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Akeem Morris of Sandy Babb Street, Kitty and George Paton of Eccles, East Bank Demerara stood arraigned on Friday before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for the capital offence of murder.
The charge stated that on August 15, at Robb Street Bourda, Georgetown, during the course of a robbery, they murdered Troy Ramalho.
The duo were remanded and are expected to reappear before the Chief Magistrate on September 21.
Reports are that, after the killing, Patron allegedly admitted to investigators that he had transported Morris along with two other men to the scene of the robbery.
The taxi driver reportedly told Police he had picked up the men at Demico, Stabroek, Georgetown, and they had asked him to drive to Robb Street, Georgetown.
He claimed he was told to park on Alexander Street between Regent Street and North Road, and wait for them to return.
According to him, after the men had excited the vehicle, he heard gunshots, after which they came running towards the car. He reportedly told Police the following day he was given $40,000 by the men, who are known to him.
Based on reports, the vendor had already packed up his stall, located between Alexander and Bourda Streets, and was awaiting transportation to take him home. During that time, he was confronted by three gun-toting bandits, who held him at gunpoint and demanded that he hand over cash and other valuables.
Ramalho allegedly refused to comply with the bandits’ demands, and one of the armed men discharged a round that hit the vendor to his chest.
As he fell to the ground, the two other men relieved him of three gold chains that were wrapped around his arm. In addition, the perpetrators took away the man’s cellphone and three gold rings before making good their escape on foot.
It was reported that the incident happened in plain sight of two on-duty City Constables.
The vendor was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he died while receiving medical attention.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage was retrieved and handed over to the Police.